Chapter 180: Tang Jia

Chapter 180: Chapter 180: Tang Jia

Chang Mu was in a restaurant when she received the system notification.

The beautiful, pampered girl sitting across from her was Tang Jia, the famous "little princess" of the Tang Family. She had been doted on since birth, and her family background, beauty, and life experiences were all things to be envied.

But what made people most envious was that she had a great older brother, Tang Ji. Not only was he the surefire heir to the Tang Family, but he was also Mr. Lu’s only friend!

Some people said that if Mr. Lu were to marry, his wife would most likely be this very Miss Tang Jia!

As a result, many people tried to curry favor with Tang Jia, treating her as the future Mrs. Lu.

Tang Jia herself didn’t seem to notice. She was still complaining to Chang Mu that too many people had been inviting her out lately, so she couldn’t even get a peaceful night’s sleep.

Chang Mu smiled on the surface, but inwardly, she was rolling her eyes so hard they could have reached the heavens.

’What an act!’

’She’s probably ecstatic on the inside!’

"Chang Mu?"

Tang Jia gave up on the salad she had stabbed to shreds on her plate. She suddenly crossed her arms and stared sharply at Chang Mu.

"Hey, you aren’t secretly bad-mouthing me in your head, are you?"

Chang Mu did a good job of hiding her panic and feigned surprise.

"Why would you think that?"

Tang Jia pouted.

"Oh, come on. Stop with the phony act. You think I don’t know you?"

This time, Chang Mu was genuinely surprised.

’Wasn’t everyone saying that Tang Jia was beautiful but utterly foolish, pampered to the point of being completely artless?’

’So why is she so perceptive? How can she see through my disguise?’

Chang Mu’s heart hammered in her chest, and she opened her mouth to argue.

But in the next second, she heard Tang Jia say indignantly,

"Hmph! Don’t think I’m stupid! You’ve been like this since we were kids! I saw through you a long time ago! Our last fight was your fault, too! Anyway, there’s no way I’m going to be the first one to back down!"

Chang Mu: "..."

The surprise and panic that had just surfaced vanished without a trace.

’Of course. How could a "simple and naive" little princess possibly see through my act?’

She let go of her solemn mood, and her tone became lighthearted again.

She was even in the mood to tease Tang Jia.

"Then why did you agree to come out the second I called you?"

Tang Jia’s eyes widened.

"Th-That’s because I’m magnanimous! I can’t be bothered to hold a grudge against you!"

Chang Mu wanted to laugh.

But she hadn’t forgotten her real purpose.

"Since you’re so magnanimous, can you do me a favor?"

Tang Jia huffed.

"What is it? Go on."

"It’s just..."

BUZZ. BUZZ. BUZZ.

The words caught in Chang Mu’s throat.

She felt something vibrating frantically.

’My phone?’

’No... it’s the system!’

Realizing something was probably terribly wrong, Chang Mu quickly stood up and said she needed to use the restroom.

Then, without waiting for Tang Jia’s reaction, she hurried away.

Chang Mu quickly found an empty stall in the restroom and locked the door.

The system’s notification arrived right on time—

[Lin Xiang’s attempt to be smuggled out has failed. She was taken away by Qing Qing and Fu Yunfeng’s people.]

The system had thoughtfully delayed the message, probably worried that Chang Mu’s expression would change on the spot if she saw it in front of Tang Jia.

But that didn’t stop Chang Mu from trembling with rage.

"Didn’t you say there was an 80% chance of success? I saw her get on the boat with my own eyes! How could it have failed!"

System: [An 80% chance of success means a 20% chance of failure. Qing Qing and Fu Yunfeng’s people intercepted the smuggling boat in international waters.]

"Those good-for-nothings!"

It was unclear whether Chang Mu was cursing Lin Xiang and the smuggler, or the system itself.

System: [Host, please handle the situation as soon as possible.]

Chang Mu paced anxiously inside the restroom stall, her tone inevitably turning sour.

"What am I supposed to do? I never should have listened to you and met with that Lin Xiang. Now I haven’t even made contact with the capture target, and the mission is about to fail..."

System: [This system has activated personal safety protection for the host. You do not need to worry about being discovered.]

Chang Mu froze.

"What do you mean?"

System: [Lin Xiang does not remember your face. All traces of the host’s presence, including surveillance footage, call logs, and more, have been erased.]

Chang Mu felt as if she had been dragged back from the brink of hell.

She was ecstatic.

"Why didn’t you say so sooner!"

The system did not answer, only repeating its reminder:

[Host, please handle the situation as soon as possible.]

Chang Mu relaxed completely.

But just because her anxiety was gone didn’t mean she was in a good mood.

"Since Lin Xiang doesn’t know much, then let her be caught. I don’t care if she lives or dies. Ugh, if I’d known, I wouldn’t have told her that Qing Zhi is still alive. Now Qing Qing and Fu Yunfeng most likely know, and it’s only a matter of time before they find her."

She was blaming the system.

Because it was the system that had told her to inform Lin Xiang in the first place.

The system fell silent again.

’As if it’s... remorseful?’

Chang Mu was lost in thought for a moment.

’Can a system, an electronic product, even have emotions like regret or remorse?’

But she quickly had no time for such thoughts.

The system’s electronic voice rang out, carrying a bone-chilling coldness.

[They will not find her.]

Soon, Chang Mu had fixed her hair and makeup and returned to her seat.

Tang Jia had a look of obvious worry on her face, but she insisted on acting tough.

"You were gone for so long, I thought you might have fainted in the restroom!"

"Just dealing with something."

Chang Mu didn’t explain further. Picking up from her earlier request, she got straight to the point.

"Tang Jia, didn’t your brother invest in a variety show a while ago?"

-

For several days after that, Nan Zhi didn’t hear from Fu Chao.

Over the next two days, she took Nan Yi to visit two more schools, the ones attended by Qi Zhang and Xie An’an.

All things considered, the first kindergarten still left the best impression on her.

The price wasn’t as outrageous as she had imagined, and it was still within an acceptable range.

Having made her choice, Nan Zhi consulted Nan Yi one last time before contacting Teacher Chen.

"...Sweetheart, do you really want to go?"

Nan Yi, lying on the sofa, idly tugged at his fluffy toy dog.

"Doesn’t Mommy want me to go?"

"I want to know what you think."

Nan Zhi watched him with a gentle gaze.

Hugging his fluffy dog, Nan Yi rolled over and sat up, saying seriously,

"My thoughts are—if Mommy wants me to go, I’ll go."

For a moment, Nan Zhi couldn’t tell if she was happy or sad.

She could only pat Nan Yi’s head.

"If you ever feel like you don’t fit in, you have to tell Mommy, okay? To me, your feelings come first."

Nan Yi nodded and huffed.

"Even though kindergarten is full of little idiots, I’ll do my best to get along with them!"

Nan Zhi was amused and laughed again.

She chidingly pinched Nan Yi’s nose.

"How can you call your classmates idiots? Besides, Mommy is putting you in the middle class, so the other kids will be around your age, or even older!"

Nan Yi didn’t care if it was the lower or middle class.

"In the same class as Qing Xi?"

"Mhm."

Nan Yi nodded again, looking what could be considered reluctantly satisfied.

Nan Zhi felt relieved.

She got up to pack the things Nan Yi would need for school.

Nan Yi trailed behind her like a little tail.

"Will Mommy pick me up after school?"

"Of course."